‘Dangerous’ stretch of road in Greenburgh to receive improvements

A dangerous stretch of road likely responsible for two fatal crashes and dozens of traffic accidents in the town of Greenburgh is expected to receive significant upgrades, county officials said.

The traffic improvements near the intersection of Jackson Avenue and North Sprain Road required the state and county to sign off, which happened earlier this month.

Funding for the project is already in place as part of a settlement with a developer behind the Ridge Hill complex in Yonkers, county officials said. Greenburgh and two of its villages received $5 million because the environmental review of the proposed development failed to properly consider traffic issues in the three municipalities.

But county officials said the funding is at risk because the settlement money needs to be spent by 2016, a tight deadline for a project requiring a complete environmental review and design.

County Legislator MaryJane Shimsky, D-Hastings-on-Hudson, expressed her thanks to state and local officials Wednesday at a press conference for their involvement in getting legislation passed and keeping the road safety project moving forward.

“Many of us who regularly travel on Jackson Avenue have been working for traffic safety since 2004, when the Ridge Hill plans were first made public,” Shimsky said.

“The succession of roadblocks in our way, and the years of hard work needed to overcome them — the lobbying, the litigation, the protracted negotiations with Westchester County — still make me shake my head. But the completion, and passage, of the parkland legislation removes the largest obstacle in our path.”

The two heavily trafficked roadways currently form a “Y” intersection, with three stop signs and compromised visibility. It will be transformed into a “T” intersection, with a traffic light. The “S” curve from the Sprain Ridge Park entrance to the intersection will also be straightened as part of the new configuration—an improvement requiring land from the park and a nearby golf club.

The use of dedicated parkland requires state legislation.

Earlier this month, the state Senate and Assembly passed bills authorizing Westchester to convey approximately six-tenths of an acre of Sprain Ridge Park to Greenburgh for the purpose of making the improvements. In exchange, Westchester is receiving about an acre in East Irvington for use as parkland.